(Part one of a seven-part business coaching series on sales strategies that work for small business. )

Have you ever noticed how you just “click” with some people almost instantly, while other people seem to be a bit more challenging to get to know?

On a recent speaking tour, my partner and I found ourselves clicking with one particular sales consultant to the point where we wound up in the lobby of the Sheraton talking story for more than four hours.

A bewildered guy stumbled out of the hotel bar and couldn’t help but express his astonishment that we were sitting out there all that time without caffeine or alcohol until two in the morning, yet we seemed to be having a blast.

This natural connection progressed into a successful, enjoyable business relationship – all without either party having to engage in traditional sales approaches. Too many sales professionals have been trained to engage in ineffective “closing” strategies that aren’t nearly as effective in creating long-lasting relationships as knowing how to build rapport, naturally.

Here’s the good news about overcoming ineffective sales training:

The better you become at discovering other people’s preferred communication styles, the more effective you will be in communicating with all types of people.

As important as it is to know what type of communication YOU prefer, it is equally important to understand and adapt to the communication preferences of OTHERS.

By adapting your communication style, you’ll successfully get your message across. You’ll also leave the impression that you’re someone who is enjoyable to do business with. And isn’t that what we all want — to enjoy our business relationships and have fun while we work? The root of sales success Each of us has a unique combination of communication styles which form our own behavioral fingerprint. When you fully understand what motivates you to do the things you do, you will be able to modify your own behavior when necessary.

Anytime I coach a business professional who is struggling to get her point across, whether with her coworkers or team, I’ll encourage her to take personal responsibility. It is a basic human tendency to "place blame" or think that the "other person" should adapt to us.

A true leader and master communicator will take ownership of any challenge and discover ways to negotiate through conflict or misunderstanding in order to work together more effectively.

Each of us has a “preferred” way of communicating. The quicker you discover what your prospect or client’s style is, the quicker you’ll be able to find solutions to their most pressing challenges, and give them what they’re looking for.

There are a number of factors that contribute to a person’s overall behavioral style including an individual’s propensity toward one communication style over another.

In part two of this series of business coaching articles, we’ll get you started with four tips that will quickly show you how to discover what type of person you are communicating with, and what is his/her preferred communication style.

Deborah Micek is known as the “Business Communication Coach” by business owners around the world thanks to members of the Business Owners Coaching Club™.

Official Life Coach for the Dream Makeover Hawaii TV show aired on NBC, internationally published author and weekly columnist for the business section of the Honolulu Star Bulletin. Deborah is a managing partner with the international small business coaching company RPM Success Group Inc.®

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